Abstract

                                Diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) is one of the nefarious pests of cruciferous crops. Crude extracts from six botanicals obtained using hexane by continuous hot percolation process in Soxhlet apparatus were evaluated for their effect on larval mortality, antifeedant, growth and development of second instar larvae of DBM. The results revealed that the antifeedant index of Sesbania grandiflora 5% was 20.82% followed by Swietenia macrophylla 5%, which had 15.61%. The larval mortality and adult emergence exhibited by S. grandiflora was (66.67% and 33.33% respectively) after 72 h of feeding on treated leaf. It was statistically on par with S. macrophylla, which had 63.33% larval mortality and 36.67% adult emergence. With regard to the developmental period of life stages, no significant difference was observed among the treatments. However, all the treatments were significantly superior over untreated check in prolonging the developmental period of DBM. It was concluded that the S. grandiflora and S. macrophylla hexane leaf extract 5% are promising botanicals against P. xylostella, as they possess insecticidal, antifeedant and growth inhibitory activity. These results open up the scope for further isolation of bioactive compounds and validation under field conditions, which would lead to formulation development, ultimately it can be incorporated as ecofriendly component in the integrated pest management strategies.

Key words : Diamondback moth; Hexane; Botanicals; Soxhlet extraction; Antifeedant; Toxicity; Growth inhibitory